Thanatofacies and the skeletonized components of the living facies, from which they originate have been studied from the Santa Maria di Leuca (SML) deep-water coral mound province. Faunal analysis was carried out by means of bottom sampling and underwater video observations, taking into account all benthic taxonomic groups, mostly corals, molluscs, serpulids, bryozoans, ostracods, foraminifers and barnacles, which permitted recognition of six different facies. These thanatofacies are easily distinguishable and appear to be largely corresponding and overlapping with related living facies. Some occur in mound areas, others in the intermound ones. They are as follows: the Frameworkbuilding Coral facies (FC), characterised by colonial corals, mostly Madrepora oculata; the Coral Rubble facies (CR), with proximal and distal aspects, characterised by large-to small-sized and densely to loosely packed coral fragments; the Solitary Coral facies (SC), dominated by different species depending on the availability and dimensions of hard exploitable surfaces; the Gryphus and Isidella facies (GI) in relatively coarse-grained bottoms; the Mollusc Mud facies (MM) and the Foraminifer Mud facies (FM) in comparably homogeneous silty bottoms. Facies distribution and spatial variability are discussed, in relation to hydrology and sea-floor topography. Furthermore, the SML facies are compared with living facies from the present-day Mediterranean and Pleistocene sediments of the same area. Data on bioclastic assemblages can serve for comparison with other recent aphotic, non-tropical carbonates.

Prosperous deep coral mounds including living colonies of Lophelia pertusa together with Madrepora oculata and Desmophyllum dianthus (= D. cristagalli) have been discovered in 2000, by fishery operations on the eastern side of the Ionian Sea. The living coral mounds are located between ca. 300 and 1,100 m on a gently dipping shelf off Apulia at Santa Maria di Leuca (SML), and characterized by a complex seabed topography. Side scan sonar, shallow high-resolution seismics and sampling indicate that these Lophelia-bearing coral mounds colonize quasi-indurate (firmground) Pleistocene sediment. At places live corals were found on Pleistocene coral-hardgrounds. The fauna associated with these Ionian modern coral mounds is less diversified than modern Eastern Atlantic counterparts. The core of living coral mounds colonies is at present located in 500-700 m and is tentatively suggested that their survival is mostly controlled by oceanographic factors. The SML coral banks represent so far a unique example of living Lopheliabearing coral mounds in the Mediterranean basin.

Y chromosomes and were identified to have most likely arisen in Melanesia. Haplogroup C-M208, which in WNG is restricted to the Dani and Lani, two linguistically closely related populations from the central and western highlands of WNG, was identified as the major Polynesian Y-chromosome lineage. A network analysis of associated Y-chromosomal short-tandem-repeat haplotypes suggests two distinct population expansions involving C-M208-one in New Guinea and one in Polynesia. The observed low levels of Y-chromosome diversity in WNG contrast with high levels of mtDNA diversity reported for the same populations. This most likely reflects extreme patrilocality and/or biased male reproductive success (polygyny). Our data further provide evidence for primarily female-mediated gene flow within the highlands of New Guinea but primarily male-mediated gene flow between highland and lowland/coastal regions.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome (NRY) genetic markers have been often contrasted to investigate sex-specific dynamics. Traditionally, isolation by distance, intrapopulation genetic diversity and population differentiation are estimated from both markers and compared. Two possible sources of bias are often neglected. First, kilometric distances are frequently used as predictor of the connectivity between groups, hiding the role played by environmental features at a microgeographic scale. Second, the comparison of intrapopulation diversity and population differentiation between mtDNA and NRY is hampered by their different mutational mechanisms and rates. Here, we show how to account for these biases by analyzing from a different perspective a published dataset of eight West New Guinea (WNG) populations for which mtDNA control region sequences and seven linked NRY microsatellites had been typed. First, we modeled the connectivity among sampled populations by computing the number of days required to travel between groups. Then, we investigated the differences between the two sexes accounting for the molecular characteristics of the markers examined to obtain estimates on the product of the effective population size and the migration rate among demes (Nm). We achieved this goal by studying the shape of the gene genealogy at several sampling levels and using spatial explicit simulations. Both the direction and the rate of migration differ between male and females, with an Nm estimated to be >6 times higher in the latter under many evolutionary scenarios. We finally highlight the importance of applying metapopulation models when analyzing the genetic diversity of a species.

Pb, Cd, and Ni contents were determined in the scalp hair of the Asmat of Irian Jaya (Indonesian New Guinea) on 35 adult subjects. These data are presented together with those of A1, Ca, Ti, Fe, Cu, Zn and Sr, which were determined in previous research on the same group. Hair samples were analyzed by EDXRS and ICE. Trace elements were also determined in 12 soil samples from the same area by EDXRS (A1, Si, K, Ca, Fe) and ICP (Cu, Sr, Ti), and by AAS (Cd, Ni, Pb). When hair element levels are compared and discussed with those of other New Guinea populations, acculturated and nonacculturated tropical groups, populations from Western countries and from polluted areas, and "recommended levels" in the literature, they greatly exceed Western levels and generally fit those of other New Guinea populations, stressing the importance of common environment, subsistence, and behavior. The results of soil analyses are consistent with the presence of those elements in hair, and their quantitative distribution follows a common trend. Metal mobility in soil, patterns of absorption, and transfer from soil to plants and to humans are considered here.

Sequencing of entire human mtDNA genomes has become rapid and efficient, leading to the production of a great number of complete mtDNA sequences from a wide range of human populations. We introduce here a new statistical approach for classifying mtDNA nucleotide sites, simply by comparing the mean simple deviation (MSD) of their specific variability values estimated on continent-specific dataset sequences, without the need for any reference sequence. Excellent correspondence was observed between sites with the highest MSD values and those marking known mtDNA haplogroups. This in turn supports the classification of 81 sites (23 in Africa, eight in Asia, eight in Europe, 34 in Oceania, and eight in America) as novel markers of 47 mtDNA haplogroups not yet identified by phylogeographic studies. Not only does this approach allow refinement of mtDNA phylogeny, an essential requirement also for mitochondrial disease studies, but may greatly facilitate the discrimination of candidate disease-causing mutations from haplogroup-specific polymorphisms in mtDNA sequences of patients affected by mitochondrial disorders. Hum Mutat 27 , 965-974, 2006. r r 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Earthworms have provided ancient cultures with food and sources of medicinal cures. Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and practices in Japan, Vietnam, and Korea have focused first on earthworms as sources of food. Gradually fostering an approach to potential beneficial healing properties, there are renewed efforts through bioprospecting and evidence-based research to understand by means of rigorous investigations the mechanisms of action whether earthworms are used as food and/or as sources of potential medicinal products. Focusing on earthworms grew by serendipity from an extensive analysis of the earthworm’s innate immune system. Their immune systems are replete with leukocytes and humoral products that exert credible health benefits. Their emerging functions with respect to evolution of innate immunity have long been superseded by their well-known ecological role in soil conservation. Earthworms as inexpensive, noncontroversial animal models (without ethical concerns)...

The presence of "pygmy" or pygmoid groups among New Guinea populations has been the object of scientific interest since the end of the nineteenth century. Morphological and molecular data are used here to study western New Guinea population variability, focusing in particular on two pygmoid groups living in the eastern fringe highlands of Papua: the Una and the Ketengban. Various kinds of anthropometric data are examined, as well as height, weight, and body mass index, to carry out comparisons with nearby ethnic groups living in the highland and lowland regions. The Ketengban data were also compared with other data recorded 20 years before. The results of previous research on the sequencing of the mitochondrial DNA hypervariable segment 1 region and nuclear DNA nonrecombining Y-chromosome polymorphisms are presented. Both morphological and molecular studies involve adult subjects of both genders, representative of the same ethnic groups and/ or geographic regions. The pygmoid groups turn out to be significantly different from all other study groups, due to their small size, as confirmed by analysis of variance, although significant height and weight increments are observed with respect to those previously recorded. However, putative neutral genetic variation estimated from mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome markers support a recent shared common history between these pygmoid populations and the other central Papua groups (except for the Dani-Lani). These findings suggest that the short-stature phenotype is an independent secondary adaptation, possibly driven by an iodinedeficient environment, which leaves the potential for further investigations.

HmtDB (http://www.hmtdb.uniba.it:8080/hmdb) is a open resource created to support population genetics and mitochondrial disease studies. The database hosts human mitochondrial genome sequences annotated with population and variability data, the latter being estimated through the application of the SiteVar software based on site-specific nucleotide and amino acid variability calculations. The annotations are manually curated thus adding value to the quality of the information provided to the end-user. Classifier tools implemented in HmtDB allow the prediction of the haplogroup for any human mitochondrial genome currently stored in HmtDB or externally submitted de novo by an end-user. Haplogroup definition is based on the Phylotree system. End-users accessing HmtDB are hence allowed to (i) browse the database through the use of a multi-criterion 'query' system; (ii) analyze their own human mitochondrial sequences via the 'classify' tool (for complete genomes) or by downloading the 'fragment-classifier' tool (for partial sequences); (iii) download multi-alignments with reference genomes as well as variability data.

The present paper describes the improvements in MmtDB, a specialised database designed to collect Metazoa mitochondrial DNA variants. Priority in the data collection has been given to Metazoa for which a large amount of variants is available, e.g., for humans. Starting from the sequences available in the Nucleotide Sequence Databases, the redundant sequences have been removed and new sequences from other sources have been added. Value-added information is associated to each variant sequence, e.g., analysed region, experimental method, tissue and cell lines, population data, sex, age, family code and information about the variation events (nucleotide position, involved gene, restriction site gain or loss). Cross-references are introduced to the EMBL Data Library, as well as an internal cross-referencing among MmtDB entries according to tissual, heteroplasmic, familiar and aplotypical correlation. Furthermore MmtDB has a new section, AMmtDB: Aligned Metazoan mitochondrial biosequences. MmtDB can be accessed through the World Wide Web at URL http://WWW.ba.cnr.it/ ∼areamt08/MmtDBWWW.htm

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosome (NRY) genetic markers have been often contrasted to investigate sex-specific dynamics. Traditionally, isolation by distance, intrapopulation genetic diversity and population differentiation are estimated from both markers and compared. Two possible sources of bias are often neglected. First, kilometric distances are frequently used as predictor of the connectivity between groups, hiding the role played by environmental features at a microgeographic scale. Second, the comparison of intrapopulation diversity and population differentiation between mtDNA and NRY is hampered by their different mutational mechanisms and rates. Here, we show how to account for these biases by analyzing from a different perspective a published dataset of eight West New Guinea (WNG) populations for which mtDNA control region sequences and seven linked NRY microsatellites had been typed. First, we modeled the connectivity among sampled populations by computing the number of days required to travel between groups. Then, we investigated the differences between the two sexes accounting for the molecular characteristics of the markers examined to obtain estimates on the product of the effective population size and the migration rate among demes (Nm). We achieved this goal by studying the shape of the gene genealogy at several sampling levels and using spatial explicit simulations. Both the direction and the rate of migration differ between male and females, with an Nm estimated to be >6 times higher in the latter under many evolutionary scenarios. We finally highlight the importance of applying metapopulation models when analyzing the genetic diversity of a species.

Auditory exostosis are arnong the discrete traits more frequently included in craniological studies, and whose presence has been differently associated with genetical, pathological or environmental influences. The frequency of this bony lesion of the external ear canal is examined in a series of 110 skulls belongiag to the Asmat, a population of Indonesian New Guinea Only two cases are found: a monolateral and a bilateral exostosis, in adult males from coastal viliages. These results are considered together with literature data relative to other c vtions. The association between this character and water temper reaffirmed, even if the high population variability does not exc I environmental or pathological factors. INrnoouzroNr, L'esostosi del canale acustico esterno può manifestarsi in due forme: come un vero osteoma, che solitamente si sviluppa alla giunzione osteo-Ricerca effettuata con fondi M.U.R.S.T. 40% (1992).